This invention relates to air conditioning apparatus, and more particularly to an evaporative cooler or "swamp cooler" of improved, more efficient construction.
Evaporative coolers which operate generally similarly to the present invention are well known. These evaporative, or "swamp" coolers, function best in the more arid climates, cooling by evaporating water into a stream of air and delivering the cooled, moistened air to the space to be cooled.
Prior art evaporative coolers have generally been fabricated from sheet metal, and have included an internal fan or blower, generally of the squirrel cage type, with a sheet metal fan shroud connected by appropriate structure usually to a base or bottom panel and communicating with a cooled air outlet. The side panels generally had openings for drawing air from the outside into the blower, with some form of water wicking or spray apparatus interposed in the stream or streams of incoming air, to effect evaporation of water into the air and consequent cooling. These prior art apparatus generally required vertical, usually exterior corner posts between the base and top panels for holding them in proper position and holding the unit together, resulting in inconvenience and some difficulty in performing maintenance operations on the internal components of the apparatus. Prior art coolers lacked the efficient water distribution of the present invention. Also, prior art construction produced a rather heavy evaporative cooler units, and units which were subject to attact from rust or corrosion.
Prior art evaporative coolers in general have not had the advantages of efficiency in operation and maintenance and economy of construction as found in the present invention described below.